West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-11-25
West Virginia Democrat.
Thomas H. Mason, Business Manager.

Charleston Star, glowing account
of West Virgins, which was pub
lished in = Chicago paper. Com
menting on this letter, the Star
says:
This writer expresses great sur
prise that such untold natural
wealth should exist here so long and
should be so little known to the
country atlarge. He considers West
Virginia the richest State in the
South in natural resources, and pre-
diets that Charleston will soon be-
come a great railroad centre.
The fact that a writer as intelli-
gent as this one appears to be,should
be so astonished at what he saw at
a rapid glance, is evidence Of the
fact that the country at large has no
adequate idea of the extent of the
undeveloped wealth lying within our
borders, and this, we trust, will tend
to impress upon the minds of our
people the Importance of pushing the
work of advertising the natural re-
sources of this valley and Of giving
business men from abroad an idea
of the advantages offered here for
extensive business operations.
The number Of business men who
have been in our city from abroad
within the last ten days is evidence
that the boom has already started,
and every effort should be used by
our people to keep the ball rolling.
There are millions upon millions
Of dollars Of idle capital lying in the
large financial centres Of the country
awaiting opportunities Of invest
ment, and just as soon as the owners
OF this immense capital ind that
they can invest il with the confdene
Of It's bringing a large return, they
will not be slow in doing so.
We are sorry 10 disturb the pleas
ing dreams this publication seems TO
bring our Kanawha friends, but il Is
much best 10 keep the plain, honest
tru,h before the people.
The natural wealth Of West Vir
ginia is perfectly well known abroad.
This is not a new State: il was set
tied more than a century ago. We
are boycotted by capital: West Vir-
ginia has a bad reputation. The
class Of men in the financial centres
who are influential TO direct capital
TO State, are busy to keep it from
coming TO West Virginia. The very
persons who could do us most good
are the very persons who are doing
us harm. Since we are not sin the
SWIM" since it is not fashionable to
put money in West Virginia invest
mentS: since there is so little COM
petition for property in this State,
capital will not come here unless it
is offered ten or twenty times the
profit of similar investment in
Maryland, Pennsylvania or Ohio.
Unless it can buy our property for
a trifle, it will not buy it all. An
impression prevails, that nobody
wants to be identified with a West
Virginia enterprise, and hence we
are obliged to sell cheap. Only last
week we were told of letter from
an Eastern real estate agent, asking
for timber lands, near railroad or
water, at from so cents to ST." Ten
days ago our attention was called to
two advertisements of soft coal land
one, a tract in Pennsylvania, thirty
miles from a railroad,-price 800
per acre; the other, better proper
", in West Virginia, within seven
miles Of a rsilroad,-price So per
acre. Land in jefferson will not
bring half the price of similar land
in this same valley in Maryland.
We know Of several enterprises pro
iected by Charleston parties that
would yield immense profit, could
capital be had to carry them out;
and capital could be found in two
hours for them were they located in
Alabama, Georgia or Florida. These
are frozen facts" and we could
easily fill this paper with similar
and equally significant facts. 1t is
fatal policy to try to ignore them.
The wise course is to remove the
causes that produce this unhappy
condition. UnquestiOnably good
deal Of money has come into the
State within the last ten years, but
it has not come in a way, or thro'
accustomed channels of business, so
as to be Of material benefit to the
mass of our home people Don Cam
eron bought 100000 acres for $780,
600. 1t will be sold for 81, 100000.
How did this sale benefit our home
people? To sell thing for 81, when